Stay Low and Rock

Although the advanced version of Crow is done with straight arms, try it first with bent elbows. Start in Wide Squat and place your palms on the floor. Bend your elbows back, and rest the inside of your bent knees on the back of your upper arms. Lift up onto your tiptoes, and place most of your weight on your hands. With control, shift forward, lifting your feet off the floor. Hold for a breath or two and then with control, lower your feet to the floor. Repeat rocking in and out of Crow to strengthen your core, upper body, and the muscles in your hands. If your wrists bother you, try this technique to reduce strain on your wrists.

Start Upside Down

Another way to get into Crow is from Tripod Headstand, so if you're confident in that inversion, give this a try. Place your hands on the mat, shoulder-width apart. Lower the top of your head to the floor about eight inches or so in front of your hands; your elbows should be at 90-degree angles. Straighten your legs, walk your feet in toward your face, bend your knees, and rest in Tripod Headstand Prep (shown below). Straighten your legs into the air, coming into Tripod Headstand.

Photo: Jenny Sugar

Now comes the fun part. Bend your knees and lower them onto your triceps, coming back into Tripod Headstand Prep. Bring the focus to your lower body. Keep your toes tucked in close to your bum, engage your core, and lower hips toward the floor as you simultaneously lift your head (looking forward will help you stay balanced). This is difficult, so be patient and focus on moving slowly and with control.

Jump Into It

You can also hop into Crow from Downward Facing Dog. I know this seems like a broken nose waiting to happen really challenging, but once you learn how, this approach might be the easiest since it really focuses the work in your core. Begin in Down Dog. Walk your feet halfway toward your hands and squat down with your knees wide, feet together. Gently rock your weight back and forth from your hands to your feet, and when you're ready, rock forward and take a little hop, trying to land with your knees on your triceps. The trick is to stay low, keep your knees wide, and land softly. Once you've mastered that, walk your feet a few inches back, and try again. As you feel more confident, keep stepping farther back until you can jump into Crow with your feet all the way back in Downward Facing Dog.